“The first half of life is devoted to forming a healthy ego, the second half is going inward and letting go of it.”  ~ Carl Jung

It seems that letting go of things was a central lesson in 2012. It has also been a part of learning as we begin 2013. Something I enjoy about stone balance is that it has a weird way of breaking ego. just when I seem to get ahead of myself, stone balance will remind me to slow down.

This is my first balance of 2013. A freezing day up at woods quarry… but as always, the experience was quiet and relaxing.. A cool part of this photo is that I inadvertently captured downtown Denver in the distant background… It looks like such a peaceful place from way up here… another reminder that perspective can change things quite a bit.

Something I like to incorporate into my balances, from a design perspective, is making the form flow as a whole. Just as with fabric squares in watercolor quilting, I like to fit rocks together in such ways as to become extensions of one another…  so they collectively radiate a certain energy through design. Another important aspect I enjoy is the tension that comes out of pushing limits of my own skill… often a greater challenge will induce more focused meditative states where breathing really becomes center of attention.  Without paying close attention to breath, the small changes in lung inflation are enough to unbalance my efforts as I brace the premature balance. SLOW BREATHING required.

btw, I find Carl Jung to be an incredible genius. His work and perspectives are highly inspirational both artistically and personally. I have also heard from credible sources that Carl Jung was himself interested in the art of Stone Balance and has even written briefly about the practice.  Though, I do not know this for certain… anyone with more insight into this, let me know!

“To develop a complete mind: Study the science of art; Study the art of science. Learn how to see. Realize that everything connects to everything else.”

~Leonardo da Vinci

Much of the time balancing is also spent experimenting with different ideas and arrangements. Remember there is no right or wrong configuration of rocks. It is about YOU and what excites YOUR spirit.

For this one I began by roaming around the quarry looking at the amazing variety of shapes and sizes of rocks.  It was not until finding the large rock in the middle of this arrangement that I decided it would fit great for a triangle… In my experience and research, this form is representative of the feminine as the triangle is pointing down to make a V shape..  Superimpose a “male” triangle over this one in the opposite direction and we would have a somewhat balanced star tetrahedron form…. maybe I’ll experiment with that next if at all possible… Though, this one was already quite a challenge to realize.. and blew over easily in slight wind…. I bet the stability could be greatly improved with a follow-up attempt as well..

“The amount of happiness that you have depends on the amount of freedom you have in your heart.”

~ Thich Nhat Hanh ~

I love how these rocks compliment each other in this arrangement.. simple elegance. :) gotta love the deep reds in many

“Form follows function-that has been misunderstood. Form and function should be one, joined in a spiritual union.”

~ Frank Lloyd Wright, 1908

“The key to growth is the introduction of higher dimensions of consciousness into our awareness.”

~ Lao Tzu

Some balances take on such interesting form when all the parts are arranged thoughtfully. I wonder what there is inside my mind and perception that tells me this is an interesting balance. Perhaps specific arrangements of shapes, colors, proportions have a way of communicating with my subconscious…? I’ve recently thought often about the paradigm where these balances are merely actions of the total universe rather than actions of my separate ego. They would not be possible without everything else happening simultaneously if everything is a single energy system. So then, are the balances communicative in some way? after all, it is the total universe acting to create something for itself to witness. ..

“Nobody knows the insides and outs;
Nobody knows what’s behind the scenes.
Nobody knows about the hardships and sorrows;
Nobody knows about the dreams…”

Guru (of Gangstarr) from Jazzmatazz vol.2

Sometimes I lose faith in everything. Sometimes i wanna delete my facebook account. Sometimes i feel absolutely fucking insane. but then i find my happy place playing with rocks.. Plus i enjoy sharing my work with all of you… Peace.

I love seeing the difference between completely dry or wet rocks.  Sometimes colors appear in pure dryness that are rich in their muted charm. For example, in this balance, wet rocks appear in tones of brown, while the same rocks dry have a subtle purple tint to them. Absolutely beautiful. Then the Black and White really highlights the form of the balance, which in this case, is especially sleek and beautiful. Perfect in its imperfection. Wabi-Sabi. :)